Making healthy meals doesn't have to mean spending hours slaving over the stove. Use these kitchen tips to prepare tasty, healthy recipes you and your family will love.

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You don’t have to let your desire to make healthy recipes fade in the face of seemingly time-consuming and complicated dishes. With the right kitchen tips, a quick trip to the supermarket, and those nifty appliances buried in your kitchen cabinets, you’ve got the fixings for an easy dinner.

“Preparing dinner doesn’t have to take too long,” says registered dietitian Donna Weihofen of the University of Wisconsin Hospital & Clinics in Madison, adding that you should be able to provide healthy meals and even enjoy cooking with just a little tweaking of your routine.

Try these 10 kitchen tips to cut down your prep time:

Buy broth. Without a doubt, your favorite cookbook has a lengthy recipe for creating the perfect broth. And it is true that a tasty broth livens up healthy recipes. However, there’s no need to make it from scratch. “Broth is low-fat and low in calories, and you can buy low-sodium versions. Why would I make it myself?” asks Weihofen.

Go for canned beans. Another quick cooking staple that Weihofen recommends is canned beans — an alternative to dry beans that often need a long soak, rinsing, and then possibly hours of cooking. Instead, simply pull out a can opener and have a healthy, filling addition to soups and salads. Many canned beans are pre-seasoned, so be sure to read labels, especially if you are watching your salt intake.

Opt for packaged, chopped veggies. You can shave minutes off meal preparation if you take advantage of the prepped raw vegetables in your produce section. Granted, these may cost more than buying fresh produce, but you can often find the frozen variety on sale. If you buy pre-packaged salad greens, be sure to rinse them before eating. If you favor steamed veggies, look for the packages that can be placed in the microwave for effortless cooking.

Double up on quantity. Many quick and healthy recipes can be made and then frozen for another meal. If you want to save yourself time later in the week or the following week, double the quantity when you cooking dinner and freeze half of it. If you’re cooking pasta, rice, or a grain for your meal tonight, cook twice as much and use the rest as part of dinner tomorrow.

Try a slow cooker. It may seem counterintuitive — after all, isn’t a slow cooker by nature slow? Indeed, this trusty appliance will cook away for six to eight hours (creating a tantalizing smell throughout your home) while you get on with your life. The few minutes you have to spend putting together the ingredients in the morning will pay off by saving you cooking time — and providing you and your family with an easy and delicious dinner that evening.

Use a pressure cooker. Contrary to suburban legend, this stove-top cooker is not going to explode in your face. Modern varieties are even safer than the pressure cooker your mother may have used. Best of all, a pressure cooker can cut the cooking time of your favorite slow-cooking dishes, such as pot roast, in half. Toss packaged cut-up veggies, broth, a cup of rice or another grain, and some meat into the pot — and you’ll have a tasty meal in les than 30 minutes.

Go for frozen foods. Frozen fruits and veggies are generally “flash frozen,” which means that they are frozen so quickly that they don’t lose their nutritive value. Your frozen food aisle is full of items that will save you time, such as frozen chopped onions (you’ll save yourself tears, too) and frozen chopped spinach, which makes a nice addition to almost any dish. Frozen produce also saves you money in the long run.

Pick up pre-cooked meats. There is no shame in using pre-cooked meats from the refrigerated section of your market to save time. Slice up a cooked turkey sausage and throw it in a vegetable soup with pasta for a savory winter meal. Pre-cooked and peeled shrimp or slices of grilled chicken make an excellent addition to salad. Just be sure to read labels if you are concerned about sodium. Also, look in the frozen food section for other protein options such as pre-cooked shrimp, beef, and chicken that can be easily reheated in the microwave or on the stove.

Use time-saving ingredients. Canned vegetables, especially seasoned and diced tomatoes, are a quick addition to almost any rice or bean dish. Weihofen calls these "partial ingredients" — some element of the work of preparing a dish (such as chopping onions and tomatoes) already has been done for you. All you need is a can opener. You may also want to look for specialty spice packets that are created for specific dishes such as stews — they provide the same time savings plus varied flavors. Check the sodium content of these packets if you are on a restricted diet.

Soup it up. Canned cream of mushroom soup has a well-deserved reputation as a base for casseroles, says Weihofen. For a healthy and filling casserole, start with this soup, then add a grain and your choice of other additions — meat (even canned tuna), canned veggies, and ingredients with some texture, such as crispy onions or nuts. Other soups can become savory meals with the addition of beans, meat, or added vegetables. As always, Weihofen stresses the importance of reading labels when you shop to make sure that you are picking canned foods with the most nutrients and the least amount of added salt or sugar.

With a little creativity and experimentation, you’ll soon be a superstar chef — without having to spend hours in the kitchen.

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